Cover for Bonds of Love and Blood

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Bonds of Love and Blood: short stories

Because Bonds of Love and Blood was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

va2016

119030
The cover and the title are not indicative of the theme of the book. There are 34 Amazon customer ratings. The Amazon summary clearly describes the theme of the book. As I am not interested in short stories, I would have skipped sampling if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the chitchat between Fabienne and Wilson in the first story 'The Bean Grower'. As I am not into short stories, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There are no grammatical or mechanical errors. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I do not have any recommendations for improvement. Although I found one OBC review on the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 4:33 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

173569
This isn't one I would have sampled without the programme as I'm not looking for new fiction at the moment. I also won't buy and read this book today as I'm currently prioritizing paranormal over realistic fiction. I believe this book must have been professionally edited because I didn't notice any errors. I enjoyed the compact descriptions that both helped me to imagine the scene and provided information about the character. An example is the sound of the trees giving way under the ice, which was reminiscent of duck hunters shooting, and so also indicates Fabienne's fear of their getting past her signs on the sugar bush. Nothing needs to be improved from the point of view of those who like realistic fiction. I saw an OBC review which was helpful (it seemed to cite a different first story), but my decision was based on the sample.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 4:07 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vickie Noel

249577
I like short stories and may have picked this book up outside the program. The title is also nice. After reading the sample, I lost interest. The writing style couldn't stimulate my desire or retain my attention. I didn't understand from the narration what Fabienne and Wilson were setting up or trying to fix, and their dialogue just gave off a really boring vibe. I also didn't fancy the English they used like, "I never seen a jay hawk mixing it up with them little birds." or "I best go drain the pipes." I know that's grammatically incorrect but is also a writing style, so I can't count them as errors per se. I saw an OBC review that piqued my interest, but the sample shattered it.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 3:40 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Lorraine De Vos

140922
I would have chosen to sample this book based on the title and cover. The first ten pages were excellent. The author has a talent for describing the characters personalities and the scenes. I could feel the icy storm taking over the household bit by bit. I rather like the concept of the short stories covering different regions, cultures and relationship types. The book does appear to be professionally edited and I did not see anything I think requires improvement. The official OnlineBookClub review was very well written and confirmed that I will be adding this book to my reading list.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 2:36 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Fu Zaila

878840
The cover is beautiful and the review was quite appealing. The sample was well written and professionally edited. I liked how descriptive the writing was. Everything about the surroundings are very well explained that it was easy to picture. I wish there was more details about Fabienne and Wilson's appearances. For a moment, I was worried that there would be an explicit scene as they were talking about having sex, but it passed. I didn't like that there were too many of the reviews and testimonials in the beginning. And I thought that the story didn't have any direction that made me want to read further. Since the sample failed to interest me, I won't be reading this book.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 2:00 am by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

97769
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. I wasn’t interested in reading this series of short stories. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I was not enticed by the first story. I thought it moved slowly with a lot of dialogue, which isn’t for me. They talked about preparing for the storm, and Fabienne spent a lot of time preparing her plants. When it started to get more interesting with Wilson gone during the storm, I still wasn’t pulled in. I also felt like the writing was choppy. Fabienne almost freezing and Wilson being gone should have been a way to capture attention, but the writing made this part seem a bit lackluster. The book did seem to be professionally edited. I do like the overarching theme that the stories follow. However, it is not the book for me.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 1:29 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jsovermyer

1045410
The cover is effective and interesting. The title, Bonds of Love and Blood, is good. Shortening it to Love and Blood would be better. This book features twelve short stories dealing with different aspects of love and human relationships. The first story deals with two people, Fabienne and Wilson, caught in a snowstorm. Fabienne is interested in keeping her bean seedlings from freezing. She thinks she will be okay, but she is in danger of freezing to death herself. The official review rated this book highly, and I agree it is well-written. I found no grammatical or spelling errors and believe it has been professionally edited. The first story doesn't keep my attention. It is slow and has little action. I will not be finishing this book. Perhaps later I will give it another try.

First Ten review added on December 28, 2019, at 12:26 am by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mbrooks2518

1121144
This book's summary didn't not catch my interest, so I would not have read it without The First Ten. The official review and the first ten pages did not make me any more interested in reading it, so I am not going to buy this book. Although, I do like that the book is made up of several short stories, so the reader can skip a story if they are not interested in it. I did not find any editing errors, and there is nothing that needs to be improved.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 10:38 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

45879
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I'm not a big fan of short love stories and this doesn't seem exciting enough for me. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I liked the descriptive language used early on. For example, describing a maple as having fingered branches waving like spectators is very revealing. That being said, the subject and genre aren't for me. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 7:54 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nuel Ukah

1285770
The cover looks catchy. The title of the book drew my attention to it. I am going to read this book to find out why the author gave this book such a title. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess.

The book was professionally edited as I did not notice any error. What I like most in the bit I read is how Fabienne and Wilson conversed in a funny way. This book is a collection of short stories. There is nothing that needs improvement in the bit I read. The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 7:47 pm by Nuel Ukah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

unamilagra

1197956
Before sampling this book, I would not have picked it up. Despite the glowing OBC review, I don't typically enjoy short stories. In the first ten pages, I found the descriptions of the impending storm be so vivid that I could picture Fabienne and Wilson, as well as their farm. That said, as I often find with short stories, I didn't really get invested in the characters enough to care what the outcome of the storm would be for them. I don't plan to continue reading the book. I didn't notice any errors in the pages I read.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 5:40 pm by unamilagra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AvidBibliophile

1437518
The cover art seems professionally done and feels soothingly approachable for a general audience. I feel the Amazon product description effectively weaves an intriguing glimpse inside the book, with the use of appealing phrases like "intimate accounts of lives at the crossroads, vibrant portrayals of global locales, and elegantly-crafted prose..." I loved descriptive imagery in examples like: "had hooked a tendril up and around a hanging fluorescent" and never before now had I envisioned a grapefruit-colored cat! This book appears to have been professionally edited. The corresponding YouTube video offers a beneficial supplementary aspect to this title's promotion. The one official OBC review is encouragingly persuasive, as are the 34 currently accessible Amazon user ratings. The additive quality of so much positive feedback, coupled with the initial reading sample itself, convinces me to gladly continue reading this collection of short stories.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 2:29 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

gen_g

697597
I have come across a positive review of this book, and it has piqued my interest. There are a couple of minor errors present, like sentence fragments at 13% ("Leathery.") – however, I believe that these errors are a stylistic choice. I find it fascinating that the author has seen fit to include little character aspects of Fabienne (the narrator in the first short story), like her love for beans, as well as contrasting that with how she thinks Wilson is obsessed with his sugar bush (kind of ironic). I would suggest that the book undergo more editing, because there are some inconsistencies in font sizes (the first page of "The Bean Grower"). However, whilst this is an excellent book, I will not be purchasing the book today as I'm currently not in the market for short stories.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 10:38 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

104096
If I had not read the sample I would have read the book as I am a huge fan of short stories. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I really liked how the author’s writing style was to the point but very descriptive; I could feel how cold it was in the first story, and I also liked how the characters had very domestic everyday conversations about the pipes. The sample was professionally edited. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 9:41 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jeremie Mondejar

215415
I sampled the first ten pages, but I cannot grasp on the story. I am confused because the season in the story was different in my country, which makes me harder to understand the concept of the first tale. The OBC review tells that this book composes of short stories, which I am delighted to know it. However, the beginning of the tale is not plot-engaging with suspense and thrills. The book seems well-written because I did not spot any typos. I like the title, but I am hoping that the first tale is a woven drama of suspense and thrills to make it a likable read. The OBC review helps me decide about this book.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 6:48 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MarisaRose

106960
I don't see many short story collections, so I'm always intrigued when one pops up as BOTD. After reading the Amazon blurb for "Bonds of Love and Blood" by Marylee MacDonald, I was eager to read the book. I love in-depth character studies, and the blurb makes it sound like although the book is a collection of short stories, they are each poignant and meaningful. That being said, I would consider purchasing the book blindly. An OBC review wouldn't really sway my opinion about the book since I am already eager to read it. In fact, the review would most likely strengthen my opinion about purchasing the book, unless a reviewer had anything overly negative to say about the book. After sampling the first ten pages, I quickly decided I would purchase the collection. The first story, about Fabienne and Wilson, felt so sweet, but also engaging. The two characters mostly engage in dialogue during the first ten pages, while they are anticipating an oncoming storm. The dialogue came across as realistic and also clearly told a story. The writing also captured my attention. I didn't notice any grammatical errors, and MacDonald's style came across as professional. There was really nothing I disliked about the sample, and I look forward to reading more of the stories in this collection. I will be purchasing this book.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 6:28 am by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Emy Katherine

94929
Without The First Ten program, I would not have read the book based on the genre. I am not interested in reading a collection of twelve short stories following the adventures of several people from different countries as they experience love, friendship, loss, and life-changing events. Therefore, I did not change my mind after reading the sample and the OBC review. Although the first story did not intrigue me, I liked the author's descriptive writing style. Plus, I found the dialogues realistic. Considering the book also has great Amazon ratings, those who enjoy reading thought-provoking stories will enjoy this fictional book. As I found some spelling and punctuation errors, I am not sure the book was professionally edited. For example, it should be written, "If it’s broke, I can fix it" instead of "If it’s broke I can fix it." (location 121 of 504 • 24%)

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 4:57 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mai Tran

1025684
I love reading about people from different countries around the world, so I wouldn’t have read this book if the official review didn’t mention its multicultural aspect. The first story was slow but very compelling. I love how Wilson’s identity was revealed slowly throughout the story. I didn’t know whether he was Fabienne's husband or simply a friend-with-benefits. The book seems well-edited since I only noticed a missing particle: [The] wind came first from one direction and then the other” (Location 114 of 504). I like the book so far, but I need a little incentive to pay for it. I’ll come back later for this book if it ever goes on sale.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 4:18 am by Mai Tran.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Cristina Chifane

418146
I would have probably read this book even without the first ten program because I like the picturesque cover and metaphorical title. Moreover, the Amazon blurb was very well written and managed to make me curious about the short stories of love, loss, and redemption included in this collection. The book has great editorial reviews and mostly 5-star customer reviews. In terms of editing, I only noticed the unexpected passage from a smaller to a bigger font (14% of Sample or 24% of Sample), but it could have been done on purpose. I enjoyed reading The Bean Grower as the author does a great job of describing Fabienne and Wilson's relationship and the way they both change after a terrible storm. The OBC reviewer also highly praises the beautiful, poetic descriptions of the various settings, the elegant writing style, and the quick and deft development of the characters. I'll definitely add this book to my reading list.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 3:26 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Washboard

1305922
This is not a genre I normally read. The title and cover art are both appealing. The official review makes the book sound beautifully done. The sample I read did not contain any errors, and jumps in to the first story talking about winterizing a bean crop before a big storm. I won't be continuing to read this one, since it is not my style of book.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 2:26 am by Washboard.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Howlan

1471486
The cover is elegant and tidy. The background is good and depicts what the book is actually about. The synopsis is to the point and gives you an overall account of the book. On reading the sample, I found the love story, not to my liking. The story lacked the drive to pull my attention into the book. The characters of Wilson and Fabienne lacked real intent despite their struggle in the storm, and the story failed to generate any interest for me. So, I found the book, not to my liking, and I am not going to buy this book. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official Review is present, and the reviewer sees it beautifully written.

First Ten review added on December 27, 2019, at 2:18 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shrabastee Chakraborty

614426
More than the title, cover, or the blurb, I was drawn to the book after reading the official OBC review. I wanted to sample a few pages, but I ended up reading an entire story. The writing is smooth and even within the short span, the author managed to show the ups and downs the plot and the characters face. I did not find any editing errors while reading. I am willing to read this book.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 9:28 pm by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

712962
The cover of the book didn't particularly catch my attention, but the blurb is intriguing, especially because of the variety of subjects approached and the book has great reviews so, even based just on first impressions, I would've read this book. I enjoyed the first ten pages and I was especially intrigued by the nature of the relationship between Wilson and Fabienne, which seemed unusual. The use of language is amazing, such as when the author describes the sky being the color of pewter. This book, definitely, stays away from cliches. Reading the first ten pages (actually the whole first story) convinced me this is my kind of book and I will read it. The book seems well-edited, although I found one mistake in the blurb, where it mentions "Vera Cruz". As a native Mexican, I'm quite sure it's spelled "Veracruz". There's also an instance in position 159 on the Kindle app where it says: "what will all that new piping you put in". Sit tight, and they'd be fine. I think the quotation marks should close on 'fine' and not before, but I can't be sure. It's hard to find a good collection of short stories so I'm enthusiastic about finishing this book. The book has an official review that heightened my enthusiasm. The only thing I think could be improved is a second round of editing to get rid of the tiny mistakes that halt this collection from being just perfect.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 8:34 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

LV2R

708077
The book’s cover and title were both good. The Amazon blurb gave several short synopses of some of the 12 stories of “wayward travelers” in relationships. Walter visits Thailand, a woman visits Turkey, and an Indian mother-in-law disrupts Leslie’s solitude. The sample had part of “The Bean Grower” story. Fabienne and Wilson, both elderly, have some kind of working and personal relationship. Fabienne grows beans and has a difficult time keeping the beans alive in the greenhouse during an ice storm. I best liked that the names of beans were included (Scarlet Runner, Wrens Eggs, Commodores, and Pencil Pods.) This showed that Fabienne really enjoyed growing beans and probably took up a lot of her time and attention. The book seemed to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review described several of the stories that covered different countries and people. The author used good descriptive writing of characters and settings. I do not want to read this book because I am not interested in reading love/relationship stories that seem a bit depressing.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 8:08 pm by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

kperm

1474526
Before reading the sample, I thought that I would like this book very much. I love reading short stories, especially romantic ones. I saw the official review, and it made the book quite appealing to me. After reading the sample, I was very disappointed. I did not enjoy reading about Fabienne and Wilson. Their story seemed very dull for me. It was not very exciting to read how they were preparing for the storm. Therefore, I am not going to read the whole book. However, the book seems professionally edited. I didn't notice any mistakes.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 8:04 pm by kperm.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kelyn

741624
If I had not been a member of this program, it is doubtful that the cover would have attracted my attention. Though pretty, it does nothing to stand out for notice. The title may have enticed me to pick it up because it indicates romance, and that is one of my favored genres. I am not familiar with the author, so that would not affect my decision. Though the blurb does a good job of describing what the book is about and the customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, neither was intriguing enough to encourage me to read the sample. Though I did not see a review specifically attributed to this program, I doubt it would have had any more impact than the others. Reading the sample did not convince me to read the book to the end. The 'love' story between the two characters in the sample, set in the middle of a harsh winter during which the "hero" (??) deserts the female main character did not ring true to me. They had been together for years. His desertion of her made no sense to me. I had to wonder if the remainder of the stories would seem just as 'foreign' to my psyche. For this reason, I have decided not to continue to read the book. The book seemed to be well-edited. I found no errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 7:32 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

HRichards

741384
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up as the summary didn't really interest me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since it didn't really appeal to me in content or plot. The sample deals with deals with Fabienne, who is growing beans, talking to a man named Wilson about fixing their windmill before the winter really sets in. They're both waiting for a storm that seems to be rolling in. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like dramatic books might like this one. I wasn't really interested in the plot. I read the OBC review of the book, and while it did clear up the fact that the book is a collection of short stories rather than one long narrative, it still did not interest me in the book.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 6:51 pm by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Brenda Creech

1236408
Although I like the cover of this book and the title is intriguing, I would not have checked it out on those two things alone. The review was enlightening and made me curious about the book, somewhat. After reading the first ten pages, I have decided that I will pass. Although the first story was good, I seem to lose interest when it comes to short stories. I wanted to continue with the first one and find out what was next for Fabene and Wilson. I wasn't ready to switch to another story. I did not find any errors in what I read, and there wasn't anything that I would say needs improving. I am just not compelled to continue reading since it is a compilation of short stories. I enjoyed the author's writing style and would be interested in reading a full novel by her.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 5:59 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

997537
'Bonds of Love and Blood' is a book written by Marylee MacDonald. The title, cover, OBC review and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.

The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is an anthology of short stories. It consists of twelve stories. The first story is about Fabienne and Wilson. I like the was human relationships are portrayed. I found some errors. It should have been, “With good efforts, we will protect ourselves” instead of “With good efforts, we protect ourselves". I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 5:17 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chelsy Scherba

75151
I was hoping to enjoy the first story, but honestly, I got bored. Fabienne and her bean garden and her troubles with Wilson didn’t really interest me enough to continue reading to the story’s completion. I noticed the book has many accolades from the likes of Kirkus reviews and many others. That’s great, but I’m still not a big fan of short stories. I thought from the review, I might enjoy them, but I think I’ll take a pass on this book. It’s well-edited and the cover is very nice.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 5:16 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

89585
At first glance, I would not have picked up this book because I am not a huge fan of short stories. I do like the cover and title. The first ten pages seem well edited. I was amused to find a review that mentions people who are not fans of short stories. I have to say that I found the beginning boring. I am not interested in gardening and it seemed to me like I was reading about the day to day life of someone, but there was no goal in mind. For this reason, I will not be reading the rest. My one suggestion to the author would be to maybe switch the book order and put a more unique or exciting story first to capture an audience. I did not read any OBC review.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 4:55 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nikolas Farmakis

1469016
I would not have read this book, as I was not intrigued by the cover or the title. I will not read this book, as I found it boring, confusing, and monotonous. The story that I read did not contain suspense but was a cliche story about a countryside house. I also will not read this book because it contained references to sex and I do not like romance novels. I did not see any errors in the sample I read, so the book must have been professionally edited. What I liked most in this book was that the author intently described the environment and the surroundings, exploring the characters' emotions. To improve, the author must be more original and add more suspense, tension, and drama by adding more linguistic devices and narrative techniques. The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review, but this did not influence me.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:58 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

1401101
I chose to read the sample of Bonds of Love and Blood because of the title. It made me think that it was a romance story, so I decided to give it a look. What I liked most about the book was how the author used a classical writing style; it was very elegant. It honestly reminded me of when I was in high school and had to read many literature pieces. However, I will be giving this book a pass because I am not into life stories. I will say that I did not see any grammatical issues in the sample, which was quite impressive. There is nothing that I can think of that the author can do to improve this book. The Official OnlineBookClub Review had a lot to say about Bonds of Love and Blood, but it did not influence my decision to buy and read this book.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:10 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

1404847
I would not have chosen to sample this book had I not been part of this program. I found neither the cover nor the title appealing. Initially, I did not notice that it was a collection of short stories. I could not garner any interest in the first story, “The Bean Grower.” I did not find the descriptions of the setting or characters engaging. Although there are other stories that I might like, I will not continue reading this book. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages. The featured OnlineBookClub review had no bearing on my decision not to read this book, although it mentioned that the first story in the review copy (which was not “The Bean Grower”) was not as engaging as the others.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 3:09 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

cpru68

517613
The opening pages of this book set readers right into the action as a woman, Fabienne, and her helper, Wilson Turnrow, are preparing their farm for an impending storm. They are in a greenhouse trying to prepare bean plants to survive the storm. Once in the house, they talk about the state of emergency they are under and how they will just stay where they are until it passes. Wilson is a widower who has helped her keep the farm going.

I won’t be finishing this book. I am not interested in reading short stories, and the first one in this book just didn’t pull me in to read further. I thought the author did a great job describing the scenes, and that will appeal to those who like books of this nature. It’s just not for me. The review did not sway me to read it.

I think this has been professionally edited as I did not find any errors in the sample pages. I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages of this, and I probably wouldn’t have found it without the online book club. I will send it out on my social media for others to enjoy.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 2:29 pm by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Laura Ungureanu

620179
The cover is nice and the review convinced me to check this out because it said the story is character-driven. Fabienne and Wilson were having a normal day, taking care of the greenhouse, while the radio announced a big storm coming. The sample was too wordy for my liking. The part of this being a book of short stories is also not something I want to read. It's professionally edited.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 2:21 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ritah

236447
Based on the cover and genre, I would have sampled the book because it appealed to me. I read the official review and sampled Bonds of Love and Blood. I liked the author's writing style. I also liked Wilson's suggestions about preparing for the storm. I found it funny how what they'd listened to on the radio was about to influence their next few minutes on the carpet. The book appeared professionally edited and I saw no areas that need improving. I will be reading the rest of the book because I love reading short stories and this one seems to be well-written.

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 12:39 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Theresa Moffitt

857578
I like the cover of this book and the title. The image is intriguing and makes the book look interesting. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. The first ten pages tell the story of Fabienne and Wilson as they prepare for a severe winter storm. They are trying to protect their plants and animals around a farm in New England. They are concerned about some kittens that are outside in the cold and some birds. There is a broken windmill but it’s too cold to repair before the storm. The two people are described as having known each other since childhood. Wilson is a widower and he has a casual sexual relationship with fabienne. I thought the first ten pages were interesting but I saw a few errors that make me believe the book was not professionally edited. The errors were changes in font in Certain paragraphs. For example, in the first paragraph of the book, it starts with a smaller font for the first sentence. This error is also present for the first 3 words of the second paragraph on the 7th page. Is was not drawn into the story enough to finish reading this book. However, I will read a review and may change my mind based on the review

First Ten review added on December 26, 2019, at 12:01 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 26%

Bonds of Love and Blood earned a score of 26%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 26% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

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